MLB Grind Down: Wednesday, April 23rd
The RotoGrinders MLB Grind Down article will give you an in-depth analysis into the MLB schedule. This article will break down the numbers for every single game and give you analysis on which trends you can exploit. While matchups are a major factor in daily fantasy baseball, there are plenty of other factors to consider such as injuries, weather, and salaries.
The analysis should point you in the right direction, but it is still up to you to decipher the information and make your own selections. No sport has more variance than baseball. The best choice is not always the right choice but following the trends will win you money over time.
Note: Any Fantasy Point Average Listed Uses FanDuel Scoring. For more info on FanDuel’s MLB Scoring System,check out the scoring systems section of our FanDuel Review
Miami at Atlanta
| Miami | Atlanta |
| Nathan Eovaldi | Vegas Moneyline | Aaron Harang | Vegas Over/Under |
| RIGHT | ATL (-160) | RIGHT | 7.5 |
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
| SP vs. Left | 0.269 | 0.706 | 0.324 | 16.2% | SP vs. Left | 0.248 | 0.760 | 0.335 | 15.0% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.237 | 0.639 | 0.286 | 20.1% | SP vs. Right | 0.247 | 0.697 | 0.311 | 22.6% |
| Batter Splits | MIA BvP  | MIA vs R | Batter Splits | ATL BvP | ATL vs R |
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window |
Pitcher Grind Down
- Nathan Eovaldi – Eovaldi has a 3.55 ERA this season with a 1.15 WHIP and 23 K’s over 25 innings pitched. Eovaldi had one of the highest velocities of all starting pitchers last season, he just hasn’t been able to turn the corner and become a high-caliber starter. Eovaldi struggles against LH batters and Heyward and Freeman could pose problems for him today. He is a +150 favorite and is a less than appealing fantasy option. Rating = 4
- Aaron Harang – The last time Harang took the mound we started the Harangatang Bandwagon and hopefully a few of you hopped on. In 4 starts this season, Harang has a 0.70 ERA with a 0.83 WHIP and 22 K’s over 25 innings of work. Vegas appears to have jumped on the bandwagon as well as Harang is a large favorite here. I like the matchup and his value at his price point. Rating = 7
Batter Grind Down
Miami
- I couldn’t possibly talk up Harang and then suggest using hitters against him. Harang did give up a .335 wOBA to LH batters last season, but there aren’t any plays that stand out to me here.
Atlanta
- Freddie Freeman – As mentioned above, Eovaldi hasn’t been great against LH batters. Freeman is batting .392 against RH pitching this season with 8 XBH’s including 3 HR’s. Freeman has also been very good at home over the last two seasons.
Arizona at Chicago Cubs
| Arizona | Chicago Cubs |
| Wade Miley | Vegas Moneyline | Jeff Samardzija | Vegas Over/Under |
| LEFT | CHC (-118) | RIGHT | 8.0 |
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
| SP vs. Left | 0.268 | 0.709 | 0.317 | 18.6% | SP vs. Left | 0.265 | 0.768 | 0.340 | 23.2% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.255 | 0.721 | 0.323 | 17.7% | SP vs. Right | 0.241 | 0.659 | 0.304 | 23.0% |
| Batter Splits | ARI BvP | ARI vs R | Batter Splits | CHC BvP | CHC vs L |
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window |
Pitcher Grind Down
- Wade Miley – Miley has a 4.35 ERA this season with a 1.26 WHIP and 27 K’s over 31 innings of work. He comes into this game as a small underdog. That said, Miley has been very good pitching away from Chase Field over the last two seasons and he carries some value as a deep GPP play. The Cubs offense often has spurts where they struggle to score runs and Miley has a decent K-rate. Rating = 6
- Jeff Samardzija – Samardzija has a ton of talent, but he just can’t seem to stay out of trouble. However, he appears to have turned a corner this season as he has posted a 1.29 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. Last season he posted a K/9 of 9.0 and I really like the upside that he provides. He’s probably best suited as a GPP play, but if you are playing in “Early Only” games, he’s one of the better cash game plays as well. Rating = 7
Batter Grind Down
Arizona
- Miguel Montero – Montero got the night off last night, but should be back in the lineup today. Last season Samardzija gave up a .340 wOBA to Lh batters and Montero has always hit RH pitching well. He should be batting in the heart of the order.
Chicago Cubs
- Junior Lake – Lake hasn’t been an everyday player this season, but he should be in the lineup today against the LH Miley. Last season Lake hit for a .377 batting average against LH pitching. Lake has decent power and nice speed on the bases. He also owns a very cheap price tag.
San Francisco at Colorado
| San Francisco | Colorado |
| Matt Cain | Vegas Moneyline | Tyler Chatwood | Vegas Over/Under |
| RIGHT | SFG (-110) | RIGHT | 10.0 |
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
| SP vs. Left | 0.206 | 0.611 | 0.279 | 22.0% | SP vs. Left | 0.257 | 0.687 | 0.315 | 12.0% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.247 | 0.723 | 0.320 | 19.8% | SP vs. Right | 0.276 | 0.664 | 0.306 | 17.0% |
| Batter Splits | SFG BvP | SFG vs R | Batter Splits | COL BvP | COL vs R |
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window |
Pitcher Grind Down
- Matt Cain / Tyler Chatwood – Last night’s game in Coors Field left much to be desired if you targeted the hitters in that game. While it may have stung a little, you have to move past it. The total for this game is set at 10.0 runs and once again, both offenses should be heavily targeted in both cash games and GPP’s. With a total that high, both pitchers should be avoided. Combined Rating = 1
Batter Grind Down
San Francisco
- Brandon Belt – Chatwood is a very serviceable big league starter, but this is Coors Field that we are talking about. Last season Chatwood gave up a .315 wOBA to LH batters and Belt crushes RH pitching. He is batting .304 with 5 HR’s against RH pitching this season. If his hits don’t go over the wall, they will likely find some gaps.
Colorado
- Troy Tulowitzki – There are plenty of plays to choose from on the Rockies, but Tulo is my favorite. Tulo has been on fire this season, especially at home. This isn’t a misprint: Tulo is batting .609 with 7 XBH’s in 23 at-bats at home this season. He also has a nice track record against Cain.
Texas at Oakland
| Texas | Oakland |
| Martin Perez | Vegas Moneyline | Sonny Gray | Vegas Over/Under |
| LEFT | OAK (-150) | RIGHT | 7.5 |
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
| SP vs. Left | 0.275 | 0.706 | 0.323 | 18.5% | SP vs. Left | 0.232 | 0.623 | 0.283 | 23.3% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.257 | 0.691 | 0.307 | 15.7% | SP vs. Right | 0.216 | 0.518 | 0.231 | 26.1% |
| Batter Splits | TEX BvP | TEX vs R | Batter Splits | OAK BvP | OAK vs L |
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window |
Pitcher Grind Down
- Martin Perez – Perez has pitched back to back games without allowing an earned run. Not only that, but he pitched at least 8 innings in each of those starts. Granted, they were against the Astros and White Sox, but it is still an impressive feat. Today he faces the A’s and comes into this game as a +140 underdog. I’m not a huge fan of targeting pitchers against the A’s at the O.Co Coliseum. Rating = 4
- Sonny Gray – Gray is following up a terrific rookie campaign with an excellent start to his sophomore season. In his first 4 starts, Gray has a 1.80 ERA with a 1.36 WHIP and 23 K’s over 25 innings pitched. While the Rangers have a very formidable lineup, he is catching them at the right time with Beltre out of the lineup. He’s not my top cash game play today, but he is one of the top pitching options available. Rating = 8
Batter Grind Down
Texas
- Gray held LH and RH batters to under a .285 wOBA last season. He is off to a terrific start this season and has been close to untouchable at home. I’m avoiding all Rangers bats today.
Oakland
- Josh Donaldson – Perez’s one bad start this season came on the road and he could struggle today against a tough A’s lineup. Donaldson has always hit LH pitching well (1.04 OPS last season) and has 5 hits over his last 3 games.
Houston at Seattle
| Houston | Seattle |
| Jarred Cosart | Vegas Moneyline | Chris Young | Vegas Over/Under |
| RIGHT | SEA (-150) | RIGHT | 8.0 |
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
| SP vs. Left | 0.194 | 0.582 | 0.270 | 20.3% | SP vs. Left | 0.250 | 0.670 | 0.297 | 9.4% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.266 | 0.761 | 0.345 | 6.1% | SP vs. Right | 0.333 | 0.854 | 0.400 | 6.3% |
| Batter Splits | HOU BvP | HOU vs R | Batter Splits | SEA BvP | SEA vs R |
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window |
Pitcher Grind Down
- Jarred Cosart – Neither pitcher in this game has me very excited. Cosart has a 7.36 ERA this season and has given up at least 3 earned runs in each of his last 3 outings. The Mariners hit RH pitching well as a team and have plenty of LH batters to throw at the RH Cosart. He should be avoided in all leagues. Rating = 3
- Chris Young – Young is a starting pitcher with an extremely low ceiling. He only has 2 strikeouts in 3 outings this season and has given up 4 earned runs. It’s never a good sign when a pitcher has more earned runs than strikeouts. He is a decent sized favorite, but I’m not sure that he will last long enough to be eligible for the win as this Astros offense has actually been very good in this series. Rating = 4
Batter Grind Down
Houston
- Jose Altuve – Altuve has a high OBP and is aggressive when he manages to reach base. He’s riding a 6 game hitting streak and has already has 8 stolen bases this season. He makes a nice value at 2B if you are looking to save some cap space.
Seattle
- Robinson Cano – Cano is batting .298 against RH pitching this season and has a great matchup against Cosart who is giving up an OPS of .856 to LH batters this season. Cano’s price is affordable too right now which never hurts.
MLB Grind Down Page 1 – Page 2
